448 ENGINEERING GEOLOGY/Codes of Practice of the death of Hans Cloos Bulletin of the International Association of Engineering Geology 13: 35 36 Paige S (ed.) (1950) Application of Geology to Engineering Practice Berkey Volume New York: Geological Society of America Rosenbaum MS and Culshaw MG (2003) Communicating the risks arising from geohazards Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A 166(2): 261 270 Terzaghi K (1925) Erdbaumechanik auf Bodenphysika lischer Grundlage Vienna: Franz Deuticke Codes of Practice D Norbury, CL Associates, Wokingham, UK ß 2005, Elsevier Ltd All Rights Reserved Introduction The practice of engineering geology requires effective communication of observations, test results, and a conceptual model of the ground This communication has to be unambiguous and clearly understood if the works are to proceed smoothly Engineering projects have become increasingly international, increasing the importance of clear communication National codification of descriptive terminology and field and laboratory test procedures has been appearing over the last 30 years; the next step is for these national standards to be subsumed within international standards The History of Codification Engineering geology as an established professional practice has been in existence for some 70 years, although some may argue that the practice has been around for as long as man has been carrying out engineering works in and on the ground As the industry grew it became increasingly clear that the meanings of words, observations, and results were too often being misunderstood, making effective work increasingly difficult Initially there was no published guidance, but a range of publications aiming to standardize practice have emerged in two distinct areas The procedures to be used in the field and in the laboratory have become standardized: guidelines have been prepared at a national level but with limited coordination between countries However, the description of soils and rocks, which is arguably the basis of all engineering geological studies, has not seen the same rapid progress Most of the guidance in this area has been advisory rather than compulsory, possibly because geologists tend to be independently minded practitioners As construction projects and engineering geology have become increasingly international, the need for common procedures and practices has increased One of the primary aspirations of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is to provide such commonality, leading to better communication and fairer competitive tendering for work The development of standards essentially takes place in committee and is coordinated by the Comite´ Europe´ en de Normalisation (CEN) and the ISO This article outlines the history of the development of codes in the practice of engineering geology, largely by reference to publications in the UK, which is the author’s base of experience Developments in other countries have been along similar lines at similar times, so the example of the UK situation is a useful illustration of the general picture Examples of standards from other countries are included in the list of Further Reading We are looking at a profession where the guidance is moving from national and advisory to international and normative What is the Role of Engineering Geology? Engineering geology is a core component of the profession of ground engineering, which concerns engineering practice with, on, or in geological materials Ground engineering is concerned with the well-being and advancement of society, including the safety of residential, commercial, and industrial structures, the essential supply of energy and mineral resources, the mitigation of geological hazards, the alleviation of human-induced hazards, the efficient functioning of the engineering infrastructure, and contributing towards a sustainable environment Ground engineering is based on the professional input of geologists and engineers, and specifically includes the scientific disciplines of engineering